Assistant General Counsel

Altruist•San Francisco, CA

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

Altruist is transforming the multi-trillion dollar wealth management industry by building an AI platform for wealth professionals. We partner with financial advisors nationwide, empowering them to grow, optimize time and resources, and deliver superior outcomes for their clients. We're looking for exceptional talent to help us achieve our mission of making financial advice better, more affordable, and accessible to all. If you're passionate about challenging the status quo and want to do the most important work of your life, we'd love to meet you! We are looking for an Assistant General Counsel to join our Legal and Compliance team. This role is a key partner to our Product, Engineering, and Commercial teams as we design, build, and scale investment and brokerage products for independent advisors and their clients. You will help shape how new products are structured, documented, and brought to market. You will also be a primary point of contact for commercial negotiations that support those products. This role is ideal for a lawyer who enjoys translating complex regulations into practical guidance, working closely with builders, and operating in a collaborative, low-ego environment. This is a hybrid role based in Los Angeles (Culver City) or the San Francisco Bay Area (FiDi), with an expectation of being in the office at least three days per week.

Requirements

At least 5 years of post-JD experience at: A major law firm, and/or a federal financial regulator (e.g., SEC, FRB, OCC, CFPB, CFTC), and/or a respected financial services or financial technology company
Experience advising on products or services in a regulated financial environment (broker-dealer, investment adviser, asset management, payments, or comparable)
Regulatory and product aptitude
Strong interest in broker-dealer and/or investment adviser regulation, with the ability to quickly go deep on rules that matter to the business
Demonstrated ability to translate regulations into clear, actionable guidance for Product and Engineering teams
Comfort working with technical and data-heavy products and curiosity about how systems work under the hood
Commercial and deal skills
Meaningful experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts, including technology/SaaS, data, financial services, or distribution agreements
Ability to balance legal risk, regulatory expectations, and business objectives in negotiations
High ownership mindset and comfort operating in a fast-moving, high-growth environment with evolving priorities
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to tailor advice to engineers, executives, and regulators
Collaborative, low-ego approach and a view of Legal as an enabler, not a blocker

Nice To Haves

Securities regulatory experience advising broker-dealers, investment advisers, or funds on SEC and/or FINRA rules
Experience working in the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets, Division of Investment Management, Enforcement, Exams, or comparable regulatory units
Experience interacting with financial regulators (e.g., responding to SEC or FINRA inquiries, supporting exams, handling enforcement-adjacent matters)
Prior in-house experience at a fintech, broker-dealer, investment adviser, or other regulated financial institution
Experience with intellectual property and privacy issues

Responsibilities

Advise Product and Engineering on the design and launch of new investment and brokerage features, balancing innovation with regulatory obligations and operational realities
Structure and document new products and programs, including advisor-facing tools, custodial features, trading and investment products, and related terms, disclosures, and policies
Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements that support the platform, including: SaaS, data, and technology licenses; Brokerage, distribution, and partnership agreements; NDAs, MSAs, and statements of work
Develop and maintain templates, playbooks, and fallback positions to help the business move quickly while managing legal and regulatory risk
Partner closely with Compliance to ensure product designs and commercial arrangements align with SEC, FINRA, and other applicable rules and guidance
Support regulatory interactions, including exams, inquiries, and informal outreach, by preparing responses, reviewing communications, and ensuring we can clearly explain and defend our legal positions
Provide day-to-day counseling to cross-functional partners (Product, Engineering, Operations, GTM, Finance) on contract, regulatory, and risk questions
Contribute to team culture and process improvements as Legal scales alongside the business

Benefits

A hybrid work schedule for most positions to promote strong, in-person collaboration.
Stunning, amenity-filled office spaces in Culver City, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Dallas, TX. Our offices are intentionally designed for comfort, collaboration, and productivity.
Competitive pay and equity for eligible positions.
Premium healthcare, dental, and vision insurance plans (HMO and PPO).
401k savings plan with a 4% match and immediate vesting.
16 week paid parental leave.
Professional growth and development opportunities including an employee mobility program and an annual L&D budget allocation for each employee.
Company perks program (includes discounts on pet insurance, fitness, cell phone plans, and travel, etc.).
Financial guidance program (includes counseling on navigating debt, tracking personal spend, saving and planning goals, home-purchasing preparedness, etc.).
One month work from anywhere policy (with the exception of a few countries).